A Tale of Two Side Kicks
by Kellie Fay
Summary: Two strangers meet in a crowded bar and find out they have more in common than they know.


A Tale of Two Sidekicks

By Kellie Fay

Two strangers meet in a crowded bar and find out they have a lot in common.

Disclaimers : Harry Potter and all related character belong to J. K. Rolling. Danny Phantom and related characters belong to Butch Hartman

Authors Warnings and notes:

WARNING!: If you haven't read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows yet there are spoilers here!

This isn't really connected to most of my other Danny Phantom stuff other than using my original character Sarah Daily. I'm trying to make this a stand alone one shot. I kinda messed with the time line of both stories (at least I think I did) to get the boys the ages they are. This is about six months after DH. I'm ignoring Phantom Planet because it's more fun when nobody knows about Danny.

For anyone who has visited Universal Islands of Adventure and find my Oak's Heart Tavern rather familiar the answer is yes it is a certain eatery within the Lost Continent, that might be replaced by a new land they are going to build. It is my favorite place to eat there, and while if they tear it down I will miss it I can't really complain about what they are putting in it's place.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Tucker followed Danny and Miss Daily through the mirror. When his feet touched the floor he looked up. If he didn't know better he would swear that the whole place was inside of a giant tree. The tables and chairs in the center of the room seemed to be growing up out of the ground, and in the small alcoves around the walls or roots of the building the tables and chairs grew out of the walls. Tucker looked up to see elaborate wood carvings decorating the walls or growing from the walls. On the ceiling was a blue stained glassed window with animals and stars inside it. "Uh Miss Daily, where are we?" He asked.

"Oak's Heart Tavern," she said with a grin. "It's a kind of in between place where ordinary people who know about magic for some reason can interact with the high magical community of Great Britain if they have too." She found Tucker a table out in the middle of the room and placed some odd little silver and brass coins on the table. "This is what passes for money here. Order whatever you want, and just wait for us here."

"Wait here?" Tucker said suspiciously "I'm not coming with you?"

"This contact of Sarah's is real touchy," Danny said with a sigh. He was in human mode, but Tucker could see that green was swirling around within his baby blue eyes as if expecting to need his ghost powers at any second. "He just wants to see her and me. Anyone else will make him back out of the deal, but I want a back up I can trust around here. You got a thermos?"

"Right here," Tucker said with a grin, brandishing his Fenton Thermos. "So what am I supposed to do while you two are hobnobbing with the magical elite around here?"

"Just try to blend in," Sarah said. "Oh and maybe work on your math homework. You know we have a test Tuesday."

"I know," Tucker said wearily.

Danny patted his friend on the shoulder. "Don't worry Tuck, we'll be back soon."

"Don't worry that you can't see us either," Sarah reminded him. "Our contact wants this to be an inconspicious meeting so we'll be cloaked."

"Great," Tucker sighed, but didn't argue. Instead he watched Danny and Miss Daily move into one of the little nooks in the roots of the walls. Once he turned away to order a root beer the pair had vanished. "This is going to be a long day," Tucker said unhappily to himself.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

At the front door to the Oak's Heart Tavern a pair of eighteen year old boys Apparated onto the front porch. One had bright red curly hair, the other had messy jet black hair and wore glasses. The black haired boy pulled a silvery cloak out from under his jacket, and looked around worriedly

"So why can't I meet this chap with you?" Ron asked.

Harry sighed for the third time since this morning. "You read the letter from Headmistress McGonagall as well as I did Ron. This American chap wants to meet with me and only me. Headmistress McGonagall thinks he's just a bit barmy, but I want someone around I can trust as a backup in case this is a trap."

"Nobody's gonna trap you now, Harry," Ron said with a grin.

"I'm not taking any chances," Harry insisted. "Everyone thinks the Death Eaters are all gone now, but you know what Mad Eye would have said."

Now Ron sighed. "Constant vigilance. I just wish we'd brought Hermione along."

"She and Ginny said they needed to go shopping in Diagon Alley," Harry said with a shrug. "Who knows what those two are up too. Besides, Ron I wanted you to be my backup."

"I'd be a better back up with you at the table," Ron insisted.

"I know," Harry said, but if you're with me he might not tell me what he wants to talk to me about." Harry pressed a few galleon into Ron's hand. "Here hang out and order whatever you like on me. I'll be done before you know it."

"Harry!" Ron protested, but Harry slipped the invisibility cloak around his shoulders, over his head and vanished before Ron could say another word.

"Wonderful, brilliant," Ron muttered under his breath opening the door to the tavern. "I'll be a big help if I can't see you."

Harry didn't answer. Ron figured that Harry didn't want to argue anymore, and moved into the tavern the moment he opened the door. Ron looked around with a sigh. The room was crowded with people, and it didn't appear there were any free tables left. Most of the tables contained two or three people, but Ron spied one of them with just a single young boy of about sixteen dressed in Muggle clothes sitting alone playing with some sort of electronic device. About a quarter of the people were dressed the same way, but there were with other witches and wizards. It seemed odd for this boy to be by himself.

Ron couldn't help but stare at the colored screen and flashing lights on the device. He had no idea what the boy was doing, until the boy stopped, and turned around slightly annoyed. "Can I help you?" He asked his voice dripping like ice.

"No, waiting for a friend," Ron said hastily. Then realizing that there were no open tables at all he asked, "Mind if I share the table? You're the only chap here by yourself."

"Go ahead," the boy said turning his full attention back to the little screen. Ron watched him a few seconds more before asking. "What is that anyway?"

Now the boy stopped and gave him an odd look. "It's my PDA. You do know what a PDA is right?"

"Oh!" Ron said beaming. He did know what a PDA was Hermione explained it once. "It's some computer thing. My girlfriend is supposed to be getting one from her parents." Obviously the boy was a Muggle so he had to watch what he said around him. Before Ron could wonder what a completely Muggle boy was doing here on his own he spied a gold pendant around his neck. It had an infinity symbol on it, but what caught Ron's attention was the other side which had runes that identified the object as a ward against magic.

"You're not here on your own either are you?" Ron asked. When the boy looked up at him suspiciously he said. "You got a magical ward around your neck. That means you know a witch or a wizard who's protecting you."

The boy pushed his glasses up around his face and fingered the chain. "Sorceress," He said simply. And I'm guessing you're of the magical persuasion if you know that.

Ron snapped his fingers remembering something Neville had told him long ago. "Right, some Yankees have a thing about being called witches, Prefer the term sorceress. You're a Yankee too I guess." Ron extended his hand. "Ron, Ron Weasely"

"Tucker Foley," the boy said shaking the hand. He turned off the PDA and now faced him slightly curious. "So you're a wizard?"

"Ron nodded." Waiting for my friend supposed to be at a secrete meeting with a bloke we've never seen before. Don't know if your friend told you but we've had some trouble up here for a few years and are still getting everything back in order."

"She wouldn't have," Tucker said thoughtfully. "Her logic is the less we know the less we can give away, but I know she's been busy this last year. She kept disappearing on us even though she's supposed to be our teacher in school. In fact she took Danny with her a couple of times. Always came back with little kids. She'd send them out to other people she knew after a few days. Was someone trying to kidnap kids where you're from?"

Ron gave the Muggle boy an odd look. Bits and pieces of what he was saying were fitting in to some scraps of conversations he had over heard from his father and his sister Ginny. "Half a moment there. You're saying you know a Yankee sorceress who been helping folks smuggle out their kids cuz the parents were half bloods or Muggle borns?"

When Tucker looked at him blankly Ron figured he didn't know that much about the world of wizards, so he tried another angle. "She's got some sort of ghost, poltergeist thing that can pass as an ordinary chap at times."

"He's not a thing!" Tucker snapped back suddenly angry. Ron wasn't sure what he had said wrong, but then the boy calmed down and said it again in cooler tones. "Danny isn't a thing, and yeah he's my friend. Miss Daily has been helping him for almost two years now deal with his powers. He kind of got them by accident."

"Blimey!" Ron said excited. "Everyone was wondering how she got him to do whatever she wants. All the ghosts at my old school have been going on about him for over a year now. My sister said the ghosts have been telling her that he's got to be really powerful to interact with the living world the way he does. Says he's gone on to fight some evil spirits back where ghosts live when they're not haunting our world, and" Ron broke off when he saw Tucker roll his eyes. "Did I say something wrong again?"

Tucker sighed. "No, not really. It's just..." Tucker trailed off as if the topic was difficult for him, but then took in a deep breath and began to talk again. "Look, Danny is my best friend. We've been together since Kindergarten. I wouldn't change that for the world, but ever since he's gotten these powers things have changed. Not Danny he's still the best, but all I hear about is how great he is, or what a menace he is. And now ghosts and humans are finding ways to get him to help them. And they act as if he's the only one who can do this -"

"But you've been next to him for most of it and you know that it's not the way that everyone makes it out to be, and it drives you batty knowing you work right next to him, and nobody notices you at all cuz he's right there." Ron finished for him.

Tucker looked at him with a surprised look on his face. "You know you're the first person I've ever talked to aside of Miss Daily who actually gets that."

Ron couldn't help but laugh. "I have a bit of the same problem too," he explained. "My own best friend is one of the most famous wizards in history. Mind you he's my age, kinda fell into it like your friend. Didn't mean to be famous wouldn't have wanted fame if you offered it to him, but there he was coming to wizarding school the most famous wizard in over a century. Everyone expected him to do everything, then there were some things he couldn't help but do. Saved our school dozens of times. I was with him the whole time, me and my girlfriend but nobody remembers us being there at all. It was always all Harry Harry Harry. He hated every bit of it, but he couldn't get out of it. Would have traded places with me in a heartbeat if he could, but we both knew he couldn't. I don't mind telling you mate there were days I was surprised my reflection didn't turn pure green it was driving me that crazy."

Tucker nodded with a look of complete sympathy on his face. "I actually did turn green once. There was this genie ghost who could grant wishes and I–"

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Harry sipped slowly at his butterbeer, and glanced at the pair now laughing and chatting quiet amiably. His companion across from him couldn't help but grin.

"Kinda weird isn't it knowing full well they're talking about us and how we drive them crazy." The boy said pushing his black hair out of his blue eyes.

"Well they are talking about a green eyed monster, but it isn't either one of you two," Sarah said chuckling. "They both agree neither of you want the notoriety, but they both agree sometimes that doesn't make it easier to be at your side watching you get it."

"I'd trade," Harry said instantly.

"Ditto," Danny added.

"No you wouldn't," Sarah teased. "Neither one of you would want to put your friends through what you go through every day." Danny and Harry looked at each other shrugged and sipped at their drinks.

"I guess not," Danny said. He took another sip. "So how long do you think we should give them?"

"Another hour at least," Sarah said with a grin. "Two if you want them to become permanent friends. I think Tucker could do with a pen pal."

"Ron would have to do with Muggle post," Harry reminded her.

Sarah nodded. "I guess using the internet would be impossible for him?"

"I'm living at Grimmauld Place now," Harry said with a sigh. "And I don't want to upset Kretcher and all the objects in there by trying to wire it for electricity, but Hermione is still living with her parents. She's got the internet, and I'm trying to get special permission to enchant a lap top computer so that I can use it without electricity."

"Permission?" Sarah asked dubiously. "The Ministry is back in order then?"

"Not quite," Harry admitted. "Ron's Dad reckons that the three of us should wait another year or so before we try to become Aurors, but Bill thinks things are moving faster and they will actually contact us by the end of the year. So we're still hanging around Hogwarts running errands for Headmistress McGonagall. She says she's just helping me stay out of the limelight until I'm ready for it."

"On that note," Sarah said finishing a jam tart, "remind me to thank her for putting us in touch with each other. I think Ron is going to be the best tonic for Tucker that I've found."

"He's in that good a mood?" Danny said with a smile. "How mad are they going to be when they find out they've been set up."

"Ron maybe not, remember he's the treatment," Sarah said.

"At least that's what I'll be telling him," Harry assured them. "But I think Ron's getting some good out of this too."

Sarah nodded with a laugh. "And as for Tucker, Danny feel free to blame me entirely."

"Oh don't worry," Danny said toasting his friend, mentor, teacher, and co-conspirator, "I intend too."

Sarah and Harry both smiled and saluted Danny as well. Then the three of them settled down watching the pair laugh and talk and help each other.


End file.
